Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-28
LAND SUBDIVISION AND LOCAL I'M
PROVEMENT

The Los Angeles Herald says the old
complaint of large land holdings in South
ern California has ceased, and all the large
tracts have been, or are being subdivided
As an instance, it tells of $4,000 acres in
four tracts recently sold and now in pro-
cess of subdivision. One 20,000-acre tract,
which brought 100000 has been cut up.
and one-half of it sold off within week,
in small lots, TO suit the purses of the
purchasers.
The same will presently be said of the
large tracts Of unimproved lands in North
ern and Central California With the in
crease Of immigrants, land subdivision
will become more popular. 1t Is not prob
able that in this section we will long have
cause to complain of large bodies of land
held by few men, being barriers to pro-
greSs and development. The subdivision
of lesser tracts, which is rapidly taking
place, will have the effect of inducing
large owners to cut up their lands and
open them to settlement. Such action
will have direct influence npon all our
market towns, and nowhere would it be
felt more beneficially than in Sacramento.
One of the first things to do, therefore,
so far as the city is concerned, is, while
putting forth all energy possible to compel
subdivision of the grants, to also labor dill
igently to settle homeseekers upon subdi-
visions Of the 100, 100, 200, 400 and 600
acre farms, several Of which, right at our
city doors, can be secured within twenty
four hours, by groups of citizens
organized to promote colonization To
neglect such opportunities while wait
ing for land grants to be broken up, is the
hight of folly and stupidity, and is sug-
gestion emanating from brainless idiocy.
Towns are not often built independently of
their surroundings Their growth and
maintenance relate to the country
about them intimately, and in a large
degree its prosperity determines their own
This is true of Sacramento and will re-
main so. Fill up the suburban region,
prepare il for the new corners; make it a
powerful invitation to them by reason of
its location, soil, yield and prepared state,
and just in proportion as they come will
city Improvement be rendered less diff
cult
But local Improvement must go on. If
the Norris grant is never divided, still
local improvements must be made here,
and this city given internal adornment
and comfort it has not now.
While Sacramento is so closely related
to the surrounding country and its
prosperity, she is in one sense independent,
because her commercial interests reach be-
yond her suburbs, to all points of the
compass and into other States and Terri
tories. The betterment of streets, walks,
architecture, drainage, sewerage, etc, is
not even debatable; it is to be promoted
at all times, and history records no in
stance of its having been over done.
1t must so on here, we repeat, whether
the desideratium of subdivision of one or
two specific land grants is attained to-mor-
row or postponed for years, as it may be,
though it ought to be accomplished
speedily. We repeat, there is no danger of
excess of effort being made for local i'm
provement.
The people of this city have two
broad fields for the exercise oftheir energy
and the spirit of enterprise that, if occu-
pied, will not only vastly increase the i'm
portance of Sacramento and enhance its
desirability as place of residence, but
also largely contribute to the development
Of Northern and Central California for
every section, town or city improved and
augmented in population and production or
attractiveness helps on the general worl,
for the development of the whole north
half of the State.